Enhancing Virtual Onboarding Experience for New Employees and Managers
Leadership | UX/UI Design | Wireframing & Prototyping
Project Role
Presentation Lead, UX/UI Designer
Presentation Lead, UX/UI Designer
Tool
Figma, FigJam, Miro, Illustration, Unreal 4, Maya
Figma, FigJam, Miro, Illustration, Unreal 4, Maya
Timeline
Q2 2023
Q2 2023
Industry
Human Resources & Employee Experience
Human Resources & Employee Experience
With the rise of remote work, MGM Resorts International faced a new challenge: how to foster a sense of belonging among remote employees and reduce turnover. Currently, 30% of MGM’s workforce operates remotely, but data revealed a decline in engagement and connection, leading to a higher quit rate after two years.
Koyu aimed to create an experience that not only streamlines the process but also instills a sense of community and alignment with MGM’s culture. Koyu identified gaps in the current onboarding experience and conducted in-depth research and strategic design to shape a seamless and engaging onboarding journey.
Koyu designed dashboard interfaces for managers to streamline the employee's status at MGM Resorts International. Her goal was to raise employees engagement who are based on remote work. This experience will help them feel a sense of belonging and a close relationship with the company.
Responsibilities
Led the flow of verbal and visual storytelling for the project delivery and check-in presentation, designing a slide deck that comprehensively conveyed the project's vision, key insights, and design rationale
Designed wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity wireframes in Figma for an employee virtual onboarding hub interface and designed the manager's user flow
Analyzed 30, 50, and 100-day milestones from remote onboarding employees
Collaborated with engineers, interior designers, and VFX designers to create an intuitive virtual onboarding hub
Team size
3 UX/UI Designers + 4 Interior Designers + 5 Engineers/VFX Designers + 1 Project Manager + 1 Director
No structure and support since day 1
The heavy reliance on individual managers results in varied experiences, leaving some employees feeling supported while others struggle with unclear expectations. Training gaps further complicate the transition, making it difficult for new hires to confidently step into their roles. Inefficient onboarding reduces productivity, increases turnover costs, and weakens company culture. To sustain long-term growth and retention, HR leaders recognize the need for a more cohesive and reliable onboarding strategy.
79.6%
of new hires do NOT receive a structured 90-day onboarding plan for their direct manager.
86.4%
of employees do NOT feel supported by their manager in completing their onboarding journey.
88%
of employees feel their department training did NOT fully prepare them for their role.
The issue at hand is…
MGM’s remote employees struggle with an inconsistent and manager-dependent onboarding process, leaving them unprepared and disconnected. Improving this experience could enhance engagement, reduce turnover, and strengthen long-term retention directly impacting workforce stability and business growth.
Unified Onboarding Management for Managers
Koyu values onboarding should be a structured journey, not a scattered checklist. Koyu with her team designed a platform to Keep track of employee progress, ensuring timely support, and maintaining a structured plan shouldn’t be a burden, and it should be seamless.
Streamlined Employee Management
Koyu's team prioritized each manager's preference for managing employees and consolidated all essential information of new on-boarders into one convenient location, simplifying the complexities of team management.
Onboarding Plan Builder
We came up with pre-templated plans and drag-and-drop functionality to simplify the creation of customized onboarding plans.
Real Time Tracking For Managing New Employee
Performance tracking page visualizes the completion of individual tasks and provide a more holistic view of what's happening in the present.
Comprehensive Data Analysis
Help managers gain insights into each new hire's onboarding performance with a data analysis page that provides a detailed breakdown of their progress, presented through easily understandable infographics
From Chaos to Clarity
This case study started with TONS OF DISSATISFACTION, but Koyu and her team first got her hands dirty by analyzing the Workforce Satisfaction Report. Her design decisions were driven by user research, manager insights, and HR data to ensure the solution addressed real pain points.
Decoding the Employee Experience
Koyu analyzed MGM’s 10-day, 50-day, and 100-day milestone results from the Workforce Satisfaction Report, conducting stakeholder interviews and benchmarking against 6 virtual office programs and 10 onboarding systems, and she identified critical gaps in engagement and structure.
4
Interviews with stakeholders
30+
Results from Workforce Satisfaction Report
16
Competitive analysis of 6 virtual office programs and 10 onboarding management systems.
Koyu discovered that new hires who struggle to connect with their team early on are more likely to disengage, feel isolated, and eventually leave. Employees don’t just need onboarding tasks; they need meaningful relationships and a support system that makes them feel valued.
That's Why…
Koyu has never worked as an HR manager, but she understands that onboarding should be seamless, structured, and empowering for both managers and new employees. That’s why she proposed a solution to the team that streamlines communication, centralizes essential resources, and introduces automation to reduce dependency on individual managers. By creating a scalable, data-driven onboarding experience, Koyu and her team bridged the gap between new hires and their teams to foster connection, clarity, and long-term growth.
Employee's Experience
Immersive Virtual On-Boarding Hub
Top priorities:
Getting more engagement
Offering personalized on-boarding
Direct feedback & communication
Building connection with the team
Manager's Experience
Streamlined Onboarding Tracking Website
Top priorities:
Increase work efficiency
Customizable home screen
Simplified data tracking & analysis
Improve communication
Structuring Navigation Through User Flow
Koyu mapped out the new employee's onboarding journey to ensure a logical and intuitive flow. New employees needed a clear path to essential onboarding tasks, while managers required seamless access to tracking tools. She and her team integrated the tracking system directly within Workday, allowing managers to access onboarding insights without switching platforms. This streamlined navigation ensures minimal disruption to established processes while maintaining a cohesive experience for both new employees and managers.
This is what it looks like in the virtual hub
Cross-team collaboration
This is Koyu's first time collaborating with the development team, and she has a fresh perspective on how to collaborate with people from different backgrounds. Her team realized her talent in building presentations and storytelling, so the team naturally saw her as the presentation lead.
Koyu designed dashboard interfaces for managers to streamline the employee's status at MGM Resorts International. Her goal was to raise employees engagement who are based on remote work. This experience will help them feel a sense of belonging and a close relationship with the company.
Responsibilities
Led the flow of verbal and visual storytelling for the project delivery and check-in presentation, designing a slide deck that comprehensively conveyed the project's vision, key insights, and design rationale
Designed wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity wireframes in Figma for an employee virtual onboarding hub interface and designed the manager's user flow
Analyzed 30, 50, and 100-day milestones from remote onboarding employees
Collaborated with engineers, interior designers, and VFX designers to create an intuitive virtual onboarding hub
Team size
3 UX/UI Designers + 4 Interior Designers + 5 Engineers/VFX Designers + 1 Project Manager + 1 Director
No structure and support since day 1
The heavy reliance on individual managers results in varied experiences, leaving some employees feeling supported while others struggle with unclear expectations. Training gaps further complicate the transition, making it difficult for new hires to confidently step into their roles. Inefficient onboarding reduces productivity, increases turnover costs, and weakens company culture. To sustain long-term growth and retention, HR leaders recognize the need for a more cohesive and reliable onboarding strategy.
79.6%
of new hires do NOT receive a structured 90-day onboarding plan for their direct manager.
86.4%
of employees do NOT feel supported by their manager in completing their onboarding journey.
88%
of employees feel their department training did NOT fully prepare them for their role.
The issue at hand is…
MGM’s remote employees struggle with an inconsistent and manager-dependent onboarding process, leaving them unprepared and disconnected. Improving this experience could enhance engagement, reduce turnover, and strengthen long-term retention directly impacting workforce stability and business growth.
Unified Onboarding Management for Managers
Koyu values onboarding should be a structured journey, not a scattered checklist. Koyu with her team designed a platform to Keep track of employee progress, ensuring timely support, and maintaining a structured plan shouldn’t be a burden, and it should be seamless.
Streamlined Employee Management
Koyu's team prioritized each manager's preference for managing employees and consolidated all essential information of new on-boarders into one convenient location, simplifying the complexities of team management.
Onboarding Plan Builder
We came up with pre-templated plans and drag-and-drop functionality to simplify the creation of customized onboarding plans.
Real Time Tracking For Managing New Employee
Performance tracking page visualizes the completion of individual tasks and provide a more holistic view of what's happening in the present.
Comprehensive Data Analysis
Help managers gain insights into each new hire's onboarding performance with a data analysis page that provides a detailed breakdown of their progress, presented through easily understandable infographics
From Chaos to Clarity
This case study started with TONS OF DISSATISFACTION, but Koyu and her team first got her hands dirty by analyzing the Workforce Satisfaction Report. Her design decisions were driven by user research, manager insights, and HR data to ensure the solution addressed real pain points.
Decoding the Employee Experience
Koyu analyzed MGM’s 10-day, 50-day, and 100-day milestone results from the Workforce Satisfaction Report, conducting stakeholder interviews and benchmarking against 6 virtual office programs and 10 onboarding systems, and she identified critical gaps in engagement and structure.
4
Interviews with stakeholders
30+
Results from Workforce Satisfaction Report
16
Competitive analysis of 6 virtual office programs and 10 onboarding management systems.
Koyu discovered that new hires who struggle to connect with their team early on are more likely to disengage, feel isolated, and eventually leave. Employees don’t just need onboarding tasks; they need meaningful relationships and a support system that makes them feel valued.
That's Why…
Koyu has never worked as an HR manager, but she understands that onboarding should be seamless, structured, and empowering for both managers and new employees. That’s why she proposed a solution to the team that streamlines communication, centralizes essential resources, and introduces automation to reduce dependency on individual managers. By creating a scalable, data-driven onboarding experience, Koyu and her team bridged the gap between new hires and their teams to foster connection, clarity, and long-term growth.
Employee's Experience
Immersive Virtual On-Boarding Hub
Top priorities:
Getting more engagement
Offering personalized on-boarding
Direct feedback & communication
Building connection with the team
Manager's Experience
Streamlined Onboarding Tracking Website
Top priorities:
Increase work efficiency
Customizable home screen
Simplified data tracking & analysis
Improve communication
Structuring Navigation Through User Flow
Koyu mapped out the new employee's onboarding journey to ensure a logical and intuitive flow. New employees needed a clear path to essential onboarding tasks, while managers required seamless access to tracking tools. She and her team integrated the tracking system directly within Workday, allowing managers to access onboarding insights without switching platforms. This streamlined navigation ensures minimal disruption to established processes while maintaining a cohesive experience for both new employees and managers.
This is what it looks like in the virtual hub
Cross-team collaboration
This is Koyu's first time collaborating with the development team, and she has a fresh perspective on how to collaborate with people from different backgrounds. Her team realized her talent in building presentations and storytelling, so the team naturally saw her as the presentation lead.
Koyu designed dashboard interfaces for managers to streamline the employee's status at MGM Resorts International. Her goal was to raise employees engagement who are based on remote work. This experience will help them feel a sense of belonging and a close relationship with the company.
Responsibilities
Led the flow of verbal and visual storytelling for the project delivery and check-in presentation, designing a slide deck that comprehensively conveyed the project's vision, key insights, and design rationale
Designed wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity wireframes in Figma for an employee virtual onboarding hub interface and designed the manager's user flow
Analyzed 30, 50, and 100-day milestones from remote onboarding employees
Collaborated with engineers, interior designers, and VFX designers to create an intuitive virtual onboarding hub
Team size
3 UX/UI Designers + 4 Interior Designers + 5 Engineers/VFX Designers + 1 Project Manager + 1 Director
No structure and support since day 1
The heavy reliance on individual managers results in varied experiences, leaving some employees feeling supported while others struggle with unclear expectations. Training gaps further complicate the transition, making it difficult for new hires to confidently step into their roles. Inefficient onboarding reduces productivity, increases turnover costs, and weakens company culture. To sustain long-term growth and retention, HR leaders recognize the need for a more cohesive and reliable onboarding strategy.
79.6%
of new hires do NOT receive a structured 90-day onboarding plan for their direct manager.
86.4%
of employees do NOT feel supported by their manager in completing their onboarding journey.
88%
of employees feel their department training did NOT fully prepare them for their role.
The issue at hand is…
MGM’s remote employees struggle with an inconsistent and manager-dependent onboarding process, leaving them unprepared and disconnected. Improving this experience could enhance engagement, reduce turnover, and strengthen long-term retention directly impacting workforce stability and business growth.
Unified Onboarding Management for Managers
Koyu values onboarding should be a structured journey, not a scattered checklist. Koyu with her team designed a platform to Keep track of employee progress, ensuring timely support, and maintaining a structured plan shouldn’t be a burden, and it should be seamless.
Streamlined Employee Management
Koyu's team prioritized each manager's preference for managing employees and consolidated all essential information of new on-boarders into one convenient location, simplifying the complexities of team management.
Onboarding Plan Builder
We came up with pre-templated plans and drag-and-drop functionality to simplify the creation of customized onboarding plans.
Real Time Tracking For Managing New Employee
Performance tracking page visualizes the completion of individual tasks and provide a more holistic view of what's happening in the present.
Comprehensive Data Analysis
Help managers gain insights into each new hire's onboarding performance with a data analysis page that provides a detailed breakdown of their progress, presented through easily understandable infographics
From Chaos to Clarity
This case study started with TONS OF DISSATISFACTION, but Koyu and her team first got her hands dirty by analyzing the Workforce Satisfaction Report. Her design decisions were driven by user research, manager insights, and HR data to ensure the solution addressed real pain points.
Decoding the Employee Experience
Koyu analyzed MGM’s 10-day, 50-day, and 100-day milestone results from the Workforce Satisfaction Report, conducting stakeholder interviews and benchmarking against 6 virtual office programs and 10 onboarding systems, and she identified critical gaps in engagement and structure.
4
Interviews with stakeholders
30+
Results from Workforce Satisfaction Report
16
Competitive analysis of 6 virtual office programs and 10 onboarding management systems.
Koyu discovered that new hires who struggle to connect with their team early on are more likely to disengage, feel isolated, and eventually leave. Employees don’t just need onboarding tasks; they need meaningful relationships and a support system that makes them feel valued.
That's Why…
Koyu has never worked as an HR manager, but she understands that onboarding should be seamless, structured, and empowering for both managers and new employees. That’s why she proposed a solution to the team that streamlines communication, centralizes essential resources, and introduces automation to reduce dependency on individual managers. By creating a scalable, data-driven onboarding experience, Koyu and her team bridged the gap between new hires and their teams to foster connection, clarity, and long-term growth.
Employee's Experience
Immersive Virtual On-Boarding Hub
Top priorities:
Getting more engagement
Offering personalized on-boarding
Direct feedback & communication
Building connection with the team
Manager's Experience
Streamlined Onboarding Tracking Website
Top priorities:
Increase work efficiency
Customizable home screen
Simplified data tracking & analysis
Improve communication
Structuring Navigation Through User Flow
Koyu mapped out the new employee's onboarding journey to ensure a logical and intuitive flow. New employees needed a clear path to essential onboarding tasks, while managers required seamless access to tracking tools. She and her team integrated the tracking system directly within Workday, allowing managers to access onboarding insights without switching platforms. This streamlined navigation ensures minimal disruption to established processes while maintaining a cohesive experience for both new employees and managers.
This is what it looks like in the virtual hub
Cross-team collaboration
This is Koyu's first time collaborating with the development team, and she has a fresh perspective on how to collaborate with people from different backgrounds. Her team realized her talent in building presentations and storytelling, so the team naturally saw her as the presentation lead.